1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of decelerating projectiles. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved clearing trap for decelerating projectiles discharged when performing a clearing check to ensure that the gun is empty.
2. State of the Art
In order to maintain proficiency in the use of firearms, it is common for law enforcement officers and sportsmen to engage in target practice. Participants will typically shoot at targets which are placed before some type of bullet containment system. After passing through the target, the bullet is typically contained in a trap where the bullet may be retrieved and recycled. Such traps include total containment system wherein the bullet is received in a chamber, and less expensive berm traps in which the bullet is received by a bullet deceleration medium.
After a target shooter is finished, it is usually a requirement that he unload the weapon for transportation and/or storage. While it is easy to remove a magazine or other container holding the bullets, it is often difficult to accurately determine if a bullet is contained in the chamber of the gun. Numerous people have been killed or injured when a gun which was believed to be empty discharged.
To prevent such accidents from occurring, it is common for the target shooter to use a clearing trap. A clearing trap is typically a small trap disposed near the main target range into which a gun is inserted and the trigger pulled. If the gun has been properly emptied, there will be no discharge and the user will be assured that the gun is empty. However, occasionally the gun will fire due to a round that was not properly removed from the chamber. Once the round is discharged, the user may pull the trigger again for assurance that the gun is empty. Once it is demonstrated that the gun is empty, the user may store or transport the gun.
While clearing traps are important to prevent accidental discharges, the presently available traps have several disadvantages. For example, in FIG. 1A there is shown a perspective view of a prior art clearing trap, generally indicated at 10. The clearing trap 10 has a cylindrical housing 14 which has a closed lower end 18 and an upper end 22 partially enclosed by a disk with an opening for receiving the barrel of a gun. The cylindrical housing is held at an angle of between about 45 and 70 degrees so that the user may hold the gun in a comfortable position while pulling the trigger.
The cylindrical housing 14 is filled with sand to decelerate rounds which are fired therein. When the housing 14 is sufficiently full of bullets, the housing is turned upside down and the contents removed.
The configuration shown has several disadvantages. For example, the housing 14 must be made either of specially formed steel plate (i.e. steel having a thickness of 0.25 inches), or of standard steel. Forming the steel plate into the cylindrical housing 14 is expensive, and using standard steel raises the risk that the housing will become damaged if a user fires the gun at an angle significantly tangential to the long axis of the housing.
Additionally, cleaning the housing 14 is difficult as the housing must be inverted and the sand and bullets removed. The sand in the housing is heavy, thereby requiring significant strength to lift and invert the housing 14. Also, while the housing 14 is being cleaned, the trap 10 remains out of service.
In FIG. 1B, there is shown a side cross-sectional view of an alternate type of clearing trap, generally indicated at 30. The trap 30 uses a circular containment chamber 34 similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,070,763; 5,113,700; 5,121,671; and 5,486,008. As the bullet moves through from the opening 38 through the circular containment chamber 34, the bullet is forced to travel in a circular pattern. While such movement is highly effective at decelerating the bullet, it also tends to cause lead dust to be released into the air. Additionally, the trap 30 is relatively expensive to make, as plate steel must be formed into the circular pattern and be disposed in a relatively large housing.
FIG. 1C shows yet another trap, generally indicated at 50, which is used for clearing weapons. The trap has a housing 54 with an opening 58 for inserting a gun. Disposed within the housing 54 are a plurality of rubber sheets 60. As the bullet travels through the rubber sheets 60, the bullet is decelerated until it comes to a rest.
While the sheets are effective at stopping the bullet and preventing fragmentation, they also become riddled with holes due to the bullets and begin to fall apart. If used frequently, replacement of the sheets can be relatively expensive.
Thus, there is a need for an improved clearing trap and method for bullet deceleration which provides all of the advantages of prior art clearing traps without the disadvantages of the currently available systems. Such a system should be inexpensive, easy to use, and ensure proper deceleration of bullets which are fired into the trap.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a clearing trap which is less expensive than those of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a clearing trap which safety decelerates bullets.
It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide such a clearing trap which is easy to maintain, and has minimal downtime.
The above and other objects of the invention are realized in specific illustrated embodiments of a clearing trap having a housing, a bullet deceleration insert, and a bullet decelerating material disposed within the insert for decelerating bullets fired into the trap.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the housing is formed of a conventional grade steel which is preformed in a desired shape (typically of square cross-section). The insert is formed of a plate steel which is sufficiently thick to stop high-power or other predetermined strength rounds. The insert may be slid into the housing for use, and then slid out of the housing when the insert becomes sufficiently full to require emptying. While the insert is being cleaned, another insert can be placed into the housing so that there is virtually no downtime for the clearing trap.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the insert is formed from interlocking pieces of plate steel. To empty the insert, one piece must simply be moved relative to another, thereby exposing the contents of the insert and allowing for rapid cleaning and refilling of the insert.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the invention, the insert is provided with a plurality of vent holes. The vent holes are configured to allow release of a small amount of air from the insert when a gun is fired into the insertxe2x80x94thereby dissipating the energy associated with firing the gun.